饿
è · HSK 1
starve
🍽️ 饿 = 饣(food radical) + 我 (I) — 'I + food' = I want food, hungry
The left side 饣is the food radical (compressed form of 食). The right side 我 means I/me and also lends the sound 'wǒ' → 'è'. A semantic-phonetic compound: food on the left signals meaning, 我 hints at the pronunciation.
饿 — food radical 饣 + 我 (wǒ)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The food radical 饣 (simplified from 食) signals the meaning 'hunger,' while 我 provides the sound. The traditional form 餓 makes the food component clearer. Originally meaning severe hunger or starvation, it now covers the everyday sense of being hungry.